Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Argo Workflows 4.0.0 through 4.0.4 can let users modify synchronization limit ConfigMaps without proper authorization. This could disrupt workflow scheduling or change operational limits in Kubernetes. The vendor says it is fixed in 4.0.5.
Executive priority
Prioritize remediation for production Argo Workflows clusters because the issue can affect workflow availability and integrity. Treat internet-exposed or broadly accessible Argo instances as urgent.
Technical view
The Sync Service ConfigMap-backed provider in server/sync/sync_cm.go lacked authorization checks for create, read, update, and delete operations. The issue is classified as CWE-425 and CWE-862 with CVSS 4.0 score 8.5. Affected versions are argoproj/argo-workflows >=4.0.0 and <4.0.5.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely in Kubernetes environments running Argo Workflows 4.0.0 to 4.0.4 where the Sync Service uses the ConfigMap-backed provider and is reachable by authenticated users.
Exploitation context
The source bundle states any authenticated user, including users using fake Bearer tokens, could perform CRUD operations on sync ConfigMaps. KEV is false, and no provided source confirms active exploitation.
Researcher notes
Evidence supports a missing authorization flaw in the Sync ConfigMap provider and a vendor patch in 4.0.5. The bundle does not provide exploit activity, affected downstream package status beyond listed references, or compensating controls beyond vendor upgrade guidance.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade Argo Workflows to version 4.0.5 or later.
- Review the GitHub advisory and v4.0.5 release notes.
- Restrict access to Argo Server and Sync Service endpoints.
- Audit sync ConfigMaps for unauthorized or unexpected changes.
- Restore synchronization limits from a trusted baseline if altered.
Validation and detection
- Inventory all Argo Workflows versions in Kubernetes clusters.
- Identify deployments using the Sync Service ConfigMap-backed provider.
- Confirm affected instances are upgraded to 4.0.5 or later.
- Review Kubernetes audit logs for sync ConfigMap CRUD activity.
- Verify low-privilege users cannot alter sync ConfigMaps.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-425: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCWE-862: Authorization and privilege behavior lookup
Authorization weaknesses can support privilege escalation and valid-account review, depending on exploit path. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupContainer behavior lookup
The affected technology mentions containers, so container-specific ATT&CK technique review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2026-42297 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 8.5 (4.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:H/SA:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
SSVC decision data
CVSS vector scores
2 official scoresWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:H/SA:H——GitHub_MCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:H2.85.5redhat-SADPVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 4.0 score
8.5HighVector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:H/SA:H
Base CVSS 3.1 score
8.3HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:H
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- ADP timelineredhat-SADP
Made public.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- ADP timelineredhat-SADP
Reported to Red Hat.
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
- 2026-05-09T05:01:33.105Z: Reported to Red Hat.
- 2026-05-09T03:42:43.305Z: Made public.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/security/advisories/GHSA-xchc-cqwg-g76qCVE reference, GitHub_M · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/commit/09fff05e0830c14a5e36cc40597ad84881db1ab6CVE reference, GitHub_M · x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/releases/tag/v4.0.5CVE reference, GitHub_M · x_refsource_MISC
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-42297CVE reference, redhat-SADP · vdb-entry, x_refsource_REDHAT
- RHBZ#2468448CVE reference, redhat-SADP · issue-tracking, x_refsource_REDHAT
- https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-42297.jsonCVE reference, redhat-SADP · x_sadp-csaf-vex
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Direct Request ('Forced Browsing')
Direct Request ('Forced Browsing') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.
Missing Authorization
Missing Authorization represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.